Adobe's Firefly now ships a conversational agent that does more than generate assets: it plans and runs multi-step jobs across Creative Cloud apps from a single instruction. The orchestration layer is live; some of the apps it targets are not.
What Adobe's creative coordinator can execute
The coordinator is split into two layers. A cross-app Firefly AI Assistant in the web app orchestrates jobs across multiple tools and has been in public beta since April 27, 2026 . On June 18, 2026, app-specific assistants entered public beta inside Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign and Frame.io, with After Effects in private beta .
The input model works differently: you describe an outcome ("create a brand kit," "generate a product video") and the agent plans the sequence, which you redirect mid-run via text, buttons or sliders . Three Creative Skills ship out of the box:
- Portrait Retouch: batch photo adjustments across a set.
- Social Media Assets: one hero image into platform crops via Generative Expand.
- Mockup Studio: a logo applied to a product image with matched scale, texture and lighting .
Persistent context is built in: Projects centralize assets, generation history and brand context, while Elements stores reusable characters, locations and objects, so a campaign resumes without rebuilding prompts . Partner model options include Kling 3.0, Google Veo 3.1, Runway Gen-4.5 and ElevenLabs Multilingual v2 .
Who qualifies and what Adobe hasn't disclosed
Access is gated by plan. The AI Assistant public beta is limited to Creative Cloud Pro, or Firefly Pro at US$19.99/month, Pro Plus at US$49.99/month (offered at a limited US$34.97/month), or Premium at US$199.99/month per license; Firefly Standard at US$9.99/month is explicitly not on the eligible list . Confirm your tier before budgeting.
| Plan | Price (USD/mo) | Monthly credits | AI Assistant beta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefly Standard | $9.99 | 2,000 | Not eligible |
| Firefly Pro | $19.99 | 4,000 | Eligible |
| Firefly Pro Plus | $49.99 ($34.97 limited) | 10,000 | Eligible |
| Firefly Premium (per license) | $199.99 | 50,000 | Eligible |
What Adobe hasn't published is the per-job cost. There is no stated figure for how many credits a Creative Skill or multi-step orchestration consumes; credit use varies by model and feature, but the multi-step math is undocumented . TechCrunch flagged the omission at the April 15 launch , and the June 18 expansion post added no enrollment or credit detail .
Rights differ by source. Adobe says Firefly is not trained on customer content and relies on licensed Adobe Stock and public-domain material, with enterprise IP indemnification covering Firefly-native output . Partner-model output (Kling, Veo, Runway) sits outside that guarantee, should be clearly indicated, and may carry a different IP profile. Clear it with legal before commercial use.
How to send a creative job at firefly.adobe.com
The simplest entry point is the Firefly web app, where AI Assistant has been in public beta since April 27, 2026. Sign in at firefly.adobe.com with an Adobe ID, then confirm your plan covers it before uploading anything: the beta is limited to Creative Cloud Pro or Firefly Pro, Pro Plus, or Premium subscribers and is not listed for Firefly Standard, so a Firefly Pro plan at US$19.99/month or higher is the floor (Adobe, 2026-06).
Once in, the process works like this:
- Open AI Assistant from the left panel: a conversational input and asset upload area appear. The chat pane carries context across sessions, so a campaign resumes without re-stating constraints.
- Upload assets (product photos, logos, style references) or start with text only.
- Describe the outcome, not the tool action. Put brand or style rules, target platforms, and aspect ratios inside the prompt: "create a 4:5 and 9:16 social kit from this product image for Instagram and TikTok" outperforms "use Generative Expand on this image."
- Send the job, then review the suggested step sequence. Skip or redirect any step. Outputs save to Creative Cloud storage for further editing in Photoshop, Premiere, or Illustrator (Adobe).
Use the standalone Firefly assistant when the job crosses apps, for example when turning product photos into a social campaign. When the task is local to one open file, use the in-app assistant instead: inside Photoshop, Premiere, and Illustrator it entered public beta on June 18, 2026. Open the file, open the AI Assistant panel, and describe the file-level job (layer organization, bin sorting, pre-flight) with no cross-app context needed (The Verge, 2026-06).
What's unverified and what's still waitlisted
Not all of the June launch is reachable. After Effects entered private beta as of June 18, 2026, with no public access or enrollment date published, so motion-graphics handoffs stay theoretical for now. The upgraded Firefly Studio, which adds Elements (reusable characters, locations, objects) and Projects (centralized assets and campaign context), is also private beta via waitlist; existing Firefly Studio users remain on the prior version until access opens (Adobe, 2026-06).
Reliability is the bigger unknown. No independent benchmarks exist for autonomous multi-step execution, and Adobe's own pages warn demos "may preview upcoming technology not all currently available" (Adobe, 2026). Treat an AI-assembled timeline or batch edit as draft output requiring inspection, not unattended automation.
Three governance constraints apply now. Per Adobe's Generative AI User Guidelines (updated May 15, 2026): prompts, inputs, and results may be reviewed by automated and manual methods for abuse prevention; do not input sensitive personal data; and Content Credentials attached to AI-generated output must not be removed.
Concrete handoff candidates for Photoshop and Premiere
The best first jobs to delegate are the repetitive, identical chores you already do by hand. In Premiere, the agent sorts assets into bins by footage type, batch-renames clips from their content, searches transcripts for spoken keywords or interview questions, and runs Quick Cut to auto-assemble a starting timeline . These tasks are most valuable when you cut similar shoots on a recurring schedule. In Photoshop, layer organization, background swaps, and platform-specific resizing described in plain language make the strongest case for multi-format export: one source file fanned out to multiple ad sizes .
Illustrator covers the print chores that repeat identically across a campaign: color-mode and missing-font checks, pre-flight, and version generation from a spreadsheet . For the fewest access restrictions today, start in the Firefly web app, where Social Media Assets (hero image to all platform crops) and Mockup Studio (logo applied with matched scale, texture, and lighting) have been in public beta since April 27, 2026 . Pick one identical, recurring task, send it as a draft, and inspect the output. That is where the orchestrator earns its place now.
Frequently asked questions
Does Firefly AI Assistant consume generative credits on every step?
Adobe has not published per-step credit costs. The June 18, 2026 blog post and the Firefly product page do not specify how many credits a single Creative Skill run consumes . Adobe does state that credit consumption varies by model and feature . Treat the cost of an automated, multi-step job as unknown and check your credit balance before running high-volume batches.
Can I access Firefly AI Assistant with a Firefly Standard plan?
No. The public beta is limited to Creative Cloud Pro, Firefly Pro (US$19.99/month), Firefly Pro Plus (US$49.99/month regular), or Firefly Premium (US$199.99/month per license) subscribers . Firefly Standard (US$9.99/month, 2,000 credits) is explicitly excluded, so verify your plan tier before budgeting around the assistant.
What is the difference between the Firefly web app assistant and the in-app assistant in Photoshop?
The Firefly web app assistant coordinates jobs that cross multiple apps, for example turning product photos into a social campaign that spans Photoshop, Lightroom-style adjustments, and platform crops. The in-app assistant inside Photoshop handles tasks local to a single open file, such as layer organization, background swaps, and platform-specific resizing . Use the web app for multi-app coordination; use the in-app panel for single-file production chores.
Are partner model outputs (Kling, Veo, Runway) covered by Adobe's IP indemnification?
No. Adobe's enterprise IP indemnification covers Firefly-native generation only; partner-model outputs from sources like Kling 3.0, Google Veo 3.1, or Runway Gen-4.5 carry a different commercial-risk profile . Adobe says partner models are optional and should be clearly indicated. Confirm with legal before shipping partner-model output in commercial deliverables.
Is After Effects supported in the current public beta?
No. After Effects is in private beta as of June 18, 2026, while Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign, and Frame.io entered public beta on that date . The upgraded Firefly creative AI studio, with its Elements and Projects features, also requires joining a waitlist . Check Adobe's product page for enrollment updates.
